Yard Sale Tips and Tricks

It's yard sale season again and hopefully you'll be joining us for Thrift With A Twist Fundraising's World's Largest Yard Sale, going on this Saturday from 9am to 3pm at The Broome County Fairgrounds!

I figured I should help you with a few pointers on great yard sale tactics that will make you an excellent buyer. Someone else's old stuff is your new greatness!

• First, wear sneakers. Flip flops may be comfortable, but if you run into wet grass or a dusty path it's going to be havoc on your feet. You also might want to consider a hat, sunglasses, sunscreen and a cooler in the car with cool drinks. Bring lots of change and small bills.
• Keep as big of a card board box or tote in your car with old newspapers. When you purchase your new treasures you can plop them inside of it and stuff some balled up newspaper around your items. so when your making turns and hitting the brakes your items aren't rolling around on the floor or seat getting damaged.
• Make sure what you think your buying is actually in the box. Sometimes people will buy that new entertainment system and pop the old one in the new ones box. you pay for the item, get home and open what you thought was a new state of the art system and you have an old, dust covered amplifier circa 1988 that's missing buttons.
• Kids grow out of footwear in what seems like a week. Sporting equipment shoes are expensive and yard sales might be a great place to pick up a good used pair of skates or cleats. If your kid isn't into yard sales. Trace their foot on a piece of cardboard and cut it out. now all you have to do is slip the template into the shoe. If it fits, buy it.
• When buying dishes or glassware you can run a cotton ball around the edges. If it's chipped the cotton ball should catch the rough edge, even if you can't see it.
• Take the price tags off as soon as you can. The longer you wait the more of a stuck on mess you'll have to clean off.
• If you're buying battery operated stuff, pop the battery cover and look for battery leakage marks. You might want to carry a dollar store battery assortment with you to test if the items work.
• When buying CD/DVD/video games check inside the box. You don't want to buy a Frankie Ballard CD and open the box to find Mariah Carey's 'Glitter' album.
• If you end up buying a huge Item like a sofa or a dresser, you need to come back with a truck. Get a receipt or offer a check with the promise to replace with cash. This will save you from losing the item to someone who offered the seller more money while you were obtaining a truck.

If you are a seller and you still want to be a vendor for Thrift With a Twist Fundraising's World's Largest Yard Sale, click below!